Teen Boy Kills Mother After Hitting Her With Hammer 11 Times On Her Head

A teen boy allegedly killed his mother after brutally attacking her with a hammer and smashing the hammer 11 times on her head in McKinney, Texas.

Adam Barney, who was 15 at the time of the incident, hit his 50-year-old mother Stacy Barney with a hammer 11 times on her head and choked her to death inside their McKinney home on Jan. 3, 2021. After deliberating for nearly three hours, the Collin County jury sentenced the now 17-year-old boy to life in prison on Thursday, Nov. 10, the Dallas Morning News reported.

McKinney police were called to the Barney home on Jan. 3, 2021. When the officers responded to the scene, Barney's father showed the officers security camera video of the incident. In the security camera footage, the teen boy can be seen going into the garage and retrieving a hammer and screwdriver.

He then went into the living room, where his mother Stacy Barney was sitting on the couch. He then struck her repeatedly on the head with the hammer and strangled her until she stopped breathing. After murdering his mother, Barney also attacked his father with a screwdriver before running away from the house. Barney was arrested seven hours later while he was walking down the street, FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth reported.

Prosecutors argued in court that Barney had a long history of violence and unprovoked aggression toward others. According to a journal entry from Barney's mother, Barney had made statements about wanting to kill family members dating back to when he was 7 years old.

A forensic psychologist testified that Barney had the traits of a psychopath.

Defense attorney April Steele said at a hearing last week that the video was “so shocking” that jurors “would not be able to entertain other evidence.”

Meanwhile, prosecutor Christina Skipper said that the video showed Barney’s demeanor while carrying out the crime, overkill, and premeditation.

Steele, Barney’s lawyer, said in a statement that the “jury chose not to see past the severity of the conduct.”

Testimony at the hearings conducted last year revealed that the teen boy had been in and out of residential treatment facilities and juvenile detention throughout his life. Barney also reported that he was sexually abused while he was staying in a rehabilitation center and alleged that a former McKinney ISD educator performed sexual acts on him.

Following the incident, Barney was ordered to life in prison with the possibility of parole and a $10,000 fine.